Reds are finally getting the Luis Mey breakout they have been waiting for

Luis Mey had been a rising star in the Cincinnati Reds organization for a number of years, and during the 2024-25 offseason, he was added to the 40-man roster. Mey was always seen as a project, but after a successful stint in the minors, the Reds wanted to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

Cincinnati called upon Mey last season, and he made his big-league debut against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 1 — oftentimes referred to as May Day, ironically enough. He stepped onto the rubber, showed off his 100-plus mph sinker and dismissed of the Cardinals' batters 1-2-3.

Mey allowed just one run over his next eight appearances, and had the look of a new bullpen weapon for Terry Francona and the Reds. But struggles began to mount after an abbreviated appearance against the Cleveland Guardians on May 18. Things snowballed from there, and he walked four batters over a five game stretch while striking out just two and was eventually sent back down to Triple-A Louisville.

Mey made two separate returns to the active roster during the second half of the season, and while he showed talent, there was also inconsistency. Over his final nine relief appearances of the 2025 season, he posted a respectable 2.25 ERA, but walked 10 batters while striking out seven.

Reds reliever Luis Mey might've put his struggles in the rearview mirror

But the 2026 version of Luis Mey has been a revelation since his return to the 26-man roster this month. If he keeps it up, the fireballer could become a fixture in the Reds bullpen heading into next season.

Mey has been yo-yo'd back and forth between Triple-A and the big leagues this season, and while his 30.4% strikeout rate was impressive, the 21.7% walk rate was unsustainable. After being sent back to Triple-A in June, Mey started to figure things out.

Over nearly a two-month span, that included 22⅓ innings of work, Mey posted a 3.63 ERA while striking out 32 batters. The 18.9% walk rate was still too high, but the right-hander was able to limit the damage. In his final six minor league games before his latest call-up, Mey owned a 1.80 ERA, 3.74 FIP, and opponents were only hitting .121.

Mey is still just 25 years old, has minor league options remaining, and is pre-arbitration eligible. Relievers are nothing if not fickle, but the Reds' coaching staff have to like what they've seen from Mey since his return from the minors.

Not only has Mey not issued a free pass since his return earlier this month, but he's worked multiple innings. If he can become a reliable arm and give Francona more than one inning per appearance, all of the sudden Mey could become vital to the bullpen's success moving forward. Here's hoping he continues to improve.

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